Benjamin



B. 0; WARREN.

Potato Digger.

Patented F Witnesses:

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BENJAMIN O, WARREN, OF ELKHART, INDIANA. Letters Patent No. 61,963, dated February 12, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN EXGAVATOR AND POTATO-BIGGER.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN O. WARREN, of Elkhart, Elkhart county, and State of Indiana, have invented new combined and improved Machinery for Excavating, Elevating, and Depositing Dirt, and Digging and Gathering Potatoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top view of my improved machine. Figure 2, longitudinal section, taken'in the plane a: yin fig. 1. Figure 3, transverse section, taken in the plane up in fig. 1. Figured, sectional view in detail of endless-belt carriers,

Figure 5, view in detail of two boards detached from bottom of dirt-box in my machine, showing fully their arrangement with pivotedends.

Figure 6, view of bar or slat-frame applied to dirt-box, whenmachine is used for gathering potatoes.

Like letters in the different figures of the drawings indicate like parts.

My improved machinery has referenceparticularly to excavating and building embankments, or such places where it can be' used to advantage. It elevates and deposits the dirt-into a body or box, so that it may be carried and dischargedtherefrom at any point that may be desired, the whole requiring but the attendance of two persons in the management of the machine. By simply removing the excavating shovel, and substituting in its stead a broader-scooped shovel, potatoes may be gathered and deposited in the same body or box, requiring but the addition therein of a slat or bar-frame to receive the potatoes and permit the dirt that may be drawn up to pass through its intervening spaces, and be discharged from the box as if used for anexcavator. Myfinvention embraces four distinctive features. The first is, by a narrow, endless-belt carrier, moving over and in the same plane with another carrier, enlarged in width, and so arranged relatively to the inclined plane of the shovel, as to enable the dirt to be drawn up more freely than inthose machines heretofore used, consequently preventing any clogging or choking of the dirt on the carrier at the point wherethe elevation of the dirt begins. This difiicultyjust mentioned frequently happens where the single carrier is used, the reason being that by virtue of the width of the carrier-and its sides, it cannotbe made to reaclrthe plane of the shovel sufiiciently to catch the dirt and draw it up therefore, in consequence of the clogging, friction is caused to the carrier, and the freedom. of the movement of the same is thereby interfered with. To remedy this, the narrowcarrier herein referred to is used, centrally arranged over and combined with the larger one, and conforming in width and reaching to the plane of the shovelthc larger carrier catching the dist not retained on the smaller, on its elevation to the dirt-box, thus disp ensing with movable, cumbersome sides, and overcoming, of course, "the weight and friction thereby caused; reference will be had to this particularly in the drawings hereafter. vThe longitudinal frame to which the shovel is attached having its bearing against the front side of the hind axle, and the weight of it supported by the front axle, may be deemed to have its connection with the first feature, from its sustaining the carrier. The object of this arrangement is to give firmness to the beams of the frame when the shovel is projected forward, as Well as to give sufficieut leverage to the beams, so that an easy and gradual inclination will be given to the frame, and consequently expedite the passage of the dirt on its elevation by the carrier, and also enable the shovel to be operated to advantage. The second feature is, by a lateral movement given to an upright guide-lever attached to the frame, to which the shovel is attached, the shovel may be guided to clear any obstruction that'may be met with. The third feature is, by means of a Windlass, and lever having an elem-- gated hooked spring or its equivalent, and the lever so arranged relatively to a semicircular plate, having, three or more perforations, and attached to one of the axle-beams of the machine, that-,on a forward or backward movement given to the lever,.and the insertion of the hook of the springinto a perforation, the shovel may be gauged to the depth desired. The fourth feature is the construction of a body or box, suspended from theaxla beams back of the endless carrier, in combination therewith, to receive the dirt therefronryand also to the manner in which the dirt is discharged from the box, by means of the ends of the boards of'the bottom being eccentrically pivoted to the ends of the box, and dropping by their own gravity edgewise,'when released by a lever and wind-lass unwinding a chain connecting with chain couplings aflixed near the edges of the boards.

I a 0mm My machine is constructed and operated as follows: :A represents the longitudinal beams which form connection between the axles a. B, longitudinal frame, secured, immediately under the boanisahove, to the front side of the rear axle. Attached to the front end of the frame is the excavating shovel Z). G is the central belt-carrier, embracing the larger carrier C, (see clearly figs. 1 and 4:.) The larger carrier encompasses the two'rollers fixed to shafts c and a, (see fig. 4;) the upper shaft 0 of which has a pulley, D. cared to a larger one, D, fixed to hind. wheel by a suitable chain or belting. The central carrier extends below the termination of the larger one, and moves on a roller fixed to the shaft cZ, independent of the other two. This shaft is secured under and between the sides of the shovel. By this arrangement of the central carrier, as before remarked, it will be brought closer to the shovel than the larger, so as to reach and take hold of the dirt as soon as it is on the shovel. The combined carrier is provided with side-pieces, E. for keeping it and the rollers in their proper places on the shafts. F is the Windlass, secured at the front and at the top of axle-beams, with a lever, 6', attached thereto, and having a hooked spring, 0, (see fig. 1 and dotted lines in fig. 2.) On the side of the beam, and secured to same between lever and end of windlass, is the semicircular plate f, which has three or mord perforations, 1, 2, and 3. The Windlass connects with the frame B below, by a chain,f, (see dotted lines in fig. 2.) Into one of the perforations of the plate in fig. 2, may be seen the hook of the spring, showing the shovel gauged to the depth desired; new, by rcmovingthe hook, and carrying the lever backward, and inserting the hook at 1, the shovel will be elevated; and, by moving the lever forwards, and the insertion of the hook at 3, it will be depressed or let down. G is the guide-lever, attached to the front cross-piece of the frame B, for guiding the shovel, as herein mentioned. H is the Windlass, secured to the rear, and on the top of the axle-beams, with a lever, 9, attached thereto, (see clearly figs. 1 and I is the dirt-box, suspended from axle-beams by the rods it, (see clearly figs. 2 and The bottom of this box is composed of movable boards, i, of the same width, and provided With pivots, j, on their corner ends, (see two boards in detail in fig. 5.\ Holes arc made in the ends of the box to receive the pivots of the boards. Now, it will be observed that, with the bottom arranged with the boards to swing freely from the pivots in the holes, the weight of their proximate edges will impel them to hang edgcwise, which will be the position desired to admit the discharge of the dirt from the box through the openings thus formed; therefore, to'bring them together, and close the bottom, the boards are provided with chain couplings, k, to the centres of which are attached the ends of the chain Z, which is looped up over the Windlass, and fastened on the front side, the lever being brought down from its present upright position (seen in the figures) to a horizontal one, and thereby causing the chain to be taken up on the Windlass sufiiciently for the purpose above stated, (see red lines in fig.

Operation: As the machine moves forward, the dirt is excavated and drawn up by the carrier, motio'n being given to it by the gearing in the manner herein described, consequent upon a revolution of the hind wheelthe dirt falling into the box as fast as it is brought up. When full, the machine is taken to a suitable place, and the box emptied from the bottom through the openings made by the boards dropping down, from an elevation of the lever by an attendant'whose business it shall be to attend to this. The control of the shovel by-the guide-lever, as well as the lever for regulating the depth of the same, is at the option of the driver, who can attend to this at the same time while looking after his horses. When the machine is used for digging and gathering potatoes, a slat or bar-frame, J, (represented in blue lines in fig. 1,) is placed down in the box to receive the potatoes as they are brought up on the carrier, and as they fall down on the bars of the-frame, the dirt becoming loose fromthern, and that which is-drawn up passing through the spaces intervening between the bars on to the bottom of the box, whence it is discharged in like manner as if used for an excavator; or the bottom may be left open for the dirt to pass through entirely.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettcrs'Patent, is- 1. The central carrier C, as arranged relatively to the inclined planeof the shovel b, in combination with the larger carrier 0, substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein set forth.

2. The longitudinalframe B, arranged in combination with the beams A, axles a, and carrier 0, substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein set forth. 7

3. The guide-lever G, incombination with the frame B, and shoveljb, substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein set forth. I I i 4. The semicircular plate f, lever e,'hooked spring e, and Windlass F, as arranged in combination with beams A and frame B, substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein set forth.

5. The box I, provided within movable bottom, in combination with the double carrier 0 and C, snbstantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein set forth.

6. The boards 2' of the bottom of the box I, having ecoent'rically constructed pivots j on their ends, and so arranged as to drop by their own gravity, substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein set forth.

7. The lever g, Windlass H, and looped chain Z, in combination with the chain-couplings 7c of the boards 11 of the box, substantially in the mannerand for the purpose as herein set forth.

BENJ. O. WARREN.

Witnesses JE$SE ZEPP, HENRY R. SEARLE. 

